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Charlie_C
08-31-2007, 00:16
How about some suggestion on a good digital camera to take on the trial.

I would say something sturdy but lightweight. Low power consumption, able to use high density memory cards like SD or equiv.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Roland
08-31-2007, 04:59
Canon SD1000 (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/sd1000.html)

We are very happy with the size, the speed and the battery life of this little powerhouse. The price is quite reasonable, too.

Jaybird
08-31-2007, 07:01
[FONT=Times New Roman]How about some suggestion on a good digital camera to take on the trial. ............................................


[SIZE="3"][COLOR="Blue"]i like my NIKON COOLPIX 3200 (former Editors Choice from Backpacker magazine) & am about to UPGRADE to the NIKON COOLPIX 7600 (http://refurbdepot.com/productdetails2.cfm?Product_ID=4076) version


Good Luck with your hike!:D

Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-31-2007, 07:11
I'm sold on the Olympus Stylus line - it is water resistant, takes bumps very well and delivers excellent photos. It allows you to turn off the 1.5 x 1.5 inch display and use an old-style viewfinder to conserve power. Uses Xd cards (available up to 2G). Downloading pics to a computer is a breeze - uses one of those cords that attaches a printer to an USB port. This camera is available in several pix densities.

I have only found two things not to love about this camera - it has limits on what you can shoot in darkness (no way to set a super long aperture opening) and it use a propriety rechargeable battery.

Dr O
08-31-2007, 07:18
I'm in a bad position, if I buy a non Kodak camera, my Rochester friends will have my head. Too bad Kodak can't seem to make a decent product nowdays.

BlackCloud
08-31-2007, 07:22
Canon probably makes the most expansive line of small digitals. I have a G7 which is kinda large, kinda heavy, but loaded w/ options.

Go to Canon's website I say....

Waterbuffalo
08-31-2007, 07:25
I have a Casio ex-s500 It's small and seemt the battery lasts a while for multiple day trips plus shoots a little video too. It would be a pain for a thru because it has a small docking station sharger at home.

SGT Rock
08-31-2007, 07:32
My cell phone. It serves as my 2.2mp camera, mp3 player, FM radio, and you can even e-mail pics and make phone calls with it when you need to, and it weighs 3.something ounces.

Skidsteer
08-31-2007, 08:16
My cell phone. It serves as my 2.2mp camera, mp3 player, FM radio, and you can even e-mail pics and make phone calls with it when you need to, and it weighs 3.something ounces.

How many pics can it store before you have to download?

Oh and what kind of cellphone is it?

SGT Rock
08-31-2007, 08:21
Depends on how much memory you put into it. I just downloaded about 50 from it last night.

Here are the specs: http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=global&lc=en&ver=4001&template=pp1_1_1&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10376

Johnny Thunder
08-31-2007, 08:51
#1 rule in buying a digital camera is go with an actual camera company (read: not a consumer electronics or computer company). Any geek can throw together a POS capture system of however-many-megapixels but it takes specialization to build the lens optics necessary to use all the capabilities of the camera. That said: I have a Canon SD 630 (I think that's the model number) and it has gone months between charges and on a 2 mb SD card I get somewhere in the range of 600 to 700 high quality pics. Charger is relatively small and lightweight if you'd need to carry or bounce it.

A few thru's mentioned that Olympus (another great camera company) put out a SD compatible waterproof camera. Rave reviews. Look it up.

Johnny

Remember, digital cameras take the best stick-out-your-arm self portraits and pictures of your friends doing dumb things when they're drunk. Other than that most people prefer film.

SGT Rock
08-31-2007, 08:54
My experience with a good camera is I still suck at making good pics. Probably more effort than I want to go through. A cheap film camera or digital does fine for what I take.

Some examples:

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=18317&c=member&imageuser=5

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=18318&catid=member&imageuser=5

Footslogger
08-31-2007, 09:22
The digital camera market is a moving target. That said ...if I was buying a camera tomorrow to carry on a distance hike it would be the Cannon A710 IS.

Here's why:

7.1 Mpixel
6X OPTICAL Zoom
2 - AA Batteries
SD Media Card

'Slogger

Freeleo
08-31-2007, 09:28
Pentax Optio W10.....6megapix....waterproof....takes video...this is an awsome camera

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06021503pentaxw10.asp :)

gollwoods
08-31-2007, 10:05
i like my fuji S700,quite nice all around camera for $225 approx.

Heater
08-31-2007, 10:35
Canon probably makes the most expansive line of small digitals. I have a G7 which is kinda large, kinda heavy, but loaded w/ options.

Go to Canon's website I say....

I had the Canon SD800 IS and it was perfect for hiking (as is the SD1000 is now) great cameras but too small for my hands.

I now use a G7. ;)

The G9 should be hitting the shelves any tim now. Not much difference from the G7 at first glance. (couple of more megapixels) I am very happy with my G7. Pretty light and lots of functionality.

otterman
08-31-2007, 11:31
Fuji F30. Solid metal body. Unbeleivable battery life. Great picutures.

taildragger
08-31-2007, 11:44
You might want to check out the opinions on nwhikers.net, there are a fair number of backpacking photographers there.

Personally, I've hauled my D100 in my pack before, amazing pictures if a good lens is used, I thinks something like a D80 would be awesome. I might be going back to film for artsy stuff and getting a point and shoot for day to day items (will weigh less than my DSLR).

I'd for sure stick with Nikon, or Cannon, they have ruled the glass world for a while, and ultimately the glass will decide your actual resolution instead of the number of pixels (these cmos chips are getting so small that they flood in smaller cameras, thats why my 6.1 MP DSLR still takes higher quality images than the smaller point and shoots)

BTW, I am a biased Nikon fan, I love their glass. That being said, Cannon typically has the better software and faster cameras, great for sports, but if you do landscapes (like I do) then I'd stick with a Nikon.

Gray Blazer
08-31-2007, 11:47
My experience with a good camera is I still suck at making good pics. Probably more effort than I want to go through. A cheap film camera or digital does fine for what I take.

Some examples:

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=18317&c=member&imageuser=5

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=18318&catid=member&imageuser=5
The best thing about digital cameras is you can take about 50-100 shotsa of the same thing and you are bound to get at least one or two good shots and then you can delete the rest.

refreeman
08-31-2007, 13:38
I had been using and liking an Olympus C50 Zoom. Very good pictures and a great feature set on the camera. However, I now want better low light photography, standard AA size batteries, longer battery life, fast picture taking speed and 12x optical zoom.

I just ordered a Canon S3 IS. It is cheap now that the S5 IS recently came out. Weighs more than the Olympus, but if you want excellent pictures this is the camera.

Here's a link to a great camera review site:
http://www.dcresource.com/

The Canon PowerShot A570 IS and the Canon PowerShot A710 IS are also both great point and shoot cameras; And lighter if you want to save weight. The Canon PowerShot A570 IS costs much less too. I got mine from http://www.BuyDig.com ; excellent prices, very consumer friendly and great service.

buckowens
08-31-2007, 16:08
I bought a Canon Powershot A550 http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=183&modelid=14824 for my last weeklong trip. It uses AA batteries and an SD card that can take loads of pictures. Way more pictures than I will ever need... I found the batteries lasted a long time and the camera took good pics.

springerfever
08-31-2007, 16:59
I am currently using a Ricoh GRD for my hiking..love the 28mm lens and the user friendly menus.

However...after buying my son a Nikon D40 and then swapping the standard zoom for the 18-200 (27-300 35mm equilivent), I am seriously considering going with the Nikon. Yes, it weighs plenty....2.5 lbs to be exact for the D40 and the incredible lens. If you are a gram counting wennie like I am, this is a hard pill to swallow.

With that being said...more than likely I will only get one shot at a thru-hike..hopefully in a couple of years and I want to document it with some stunning photography.

Choice of camera is such an individual decision and so many factors play into that choice. Best advice is to write down your preferences, do a lot of comparisons and then once bringing it down to two or three choices, go to a Wolfe's or comparable and make your decision. "Feel" is so important.

springerfever
08-31-2007, 17:08
If you are a camera-geek like I am, check out this review:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm

springerfever
08-31-2007, 17:16
And here is a great article on why it is the photographer and his imagination that make for great pictures, not necessarily great cameras and lenses.

springerfever
08-31-2007, 17:17
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

taildragger
11-06-2007, 10:28
Very true, I remember reading most of Ken's reviews when I decided that I wanted to go DSLR. Now I wish that I had gotten a point and shoot and just used my SLR for my artsy stuff.

That being said, there is nothing more annoying than having a great shot get ruined by your camera improperly focusing, or trying to think too much :mad: (This is why I like to shoot in RAW)

BTW, does anyone have a recommendation for a point and shoot that will shoot RAW? I don't wanna break the bank, but I've come to the realization that my camera will be to bulky to be taking "snapshots" as I go down the trail (all my best shots have been snapshots, except for maybe a sunset that I setup for). Something above 7 MP would be nice, and good optics are always a must, and if it used a CF card instead of a SD that would be nice as well (already own the CF cards).

weary
11-06-2007, 11:28
My experience with a good camera is I still suck at making good pics. Probably more effort than I want to go through. A cheap film camera or digital does fine for what I take.....]
That's why advice about "good" cameras, without adding such details as "good for what kind of picture taking" is pretty meaningless.

If your aim is to take casual snapshots of people and scenes along the trail, most any light weight camera that takes a double A battery will be great. If you are a serious photographer and want to document the trail, you need a more sophisticated camera.

IN 1993 I hiked with a Olympus Stylus with a 38-110 lens and got a few great photos and a lot of okay shots that have pleased a lot of people over the years when I do slide shows. But the secret is less the photos but the fact that I only show each shot for two or three seconds and avoid much talk about where the shots were taken, and who and what is in the picture, in an effort to avoid boredom. My talk consists of brief summaries of the trail experience interspersed with a few jokes.

I spent many hours before that walk pondering what camera to take and finally settled on a 25 ounce Olympus single lens reflex. I spent my $400 only to have the camera disappear enroute to the trail on the AMTRAK train in Washington, D.C.

I talked my ride from Atlanta to Amicalola State Park into stopping at a camera store where I picked out my 12 ounce replacement in about 15 seconds.

I now use a Panasonic Lumix FZ 7 digital that weighs less than a pound and has a 12X telephoto lens, which is ideal in my opinion for a thru hike for my kind of picture taking. Unfortunately, I'm increasingly physically unable to do a thru hike so I'll probably never be able to test my opinion.

Weary

faarside
11-06-2007, 11:41
HP PhotoSmart M22v.

Good battery life, weather resistant, small, 4.0MP

I'm satisfied with it!

Happy Trails!

Painted Turtle
11-06-2007, 12:22
You might want to check out the opinions on nwhikers.net, there are a fair number of backpacking photographers there.

Personally, I've hauled my D100 in my pack before, amazing pictures if a good lens is used, I thinks something like a D80 would be awesome. I might be going back to film for artsy stuff and getting a point and shoot for day to day items (will weigh less than my DSLR).

I'd for sure stick with Nikon, or Cannon, they have ruled the glass world for a while, and ultimately the glass will decide your actual resolution instead of the number of pixels (these cmos chips are getting so small that they flood in smaller cameras, thats why my 6.1 MP DSLR still takes higher quality images than the smaller point and shoots)

BTW, I am a biased Nikon fan, I love their glass. That being said, Cannon typically has the better software and faster cameras, great for sports, but if you do landscapes (like I do) then I'd stick with a Nikon.

There is a lot of good advice there if you read between the lines. To start with the more Mpg and the smaller the cmos the worst the picture. DO not be fooled by Mpg. A 6mpg camera with a good sensor will do a good 4x6 and for the average person a good 8x10. Any bigger and you better start thinking about shooting RAW and going to a higher mpg count and better glass ..you get the picture.

Glass makes the picture. I use Canon but their kit lens is worthless. Nikon or Canon is the way to go if you go DSLR. Eithe rthe Nikon 40x or the Canon XTi. Both under $900.00 and both a good intro camera.

You will have to decide what kind of pictures you like to take, Landscape, closeups, low light, etc You are going to have to think of weight. How long you are going to be out, which means battery life, storage cards. Then there is the type of file, JPEG or RAW. I only know of two point and shots on the market that shot RAW and one is the new Canon G9 see http://www.dpreview.com/

I like to shot RAW most hikers/people don't.

Ok enough said let the others present their opinions.